Adelaide chairman Rob Chapman last saw Bailey on Sunday and described his death at 47 as “bloody sad … and unfair”.

Chapman worked closely with Bailey to defend the Crows assistant coach last year when he faced sanctions from the AFL in the Melbourne “tanking” saga of 2009.

“From those walks along the beach to the nights we’d shared a glass of wine, I learned a lot about football from Dean,” Chapman said. “I will treasure those times.

“Dean had a great sense of humour and a great sense of family.

“He also wanted to achieve so much with the Adelaide Football Club. He leaves us to fulfil those dreams — and with us all remembering his part in making the club stronger and better.”

Herald Sun AFL writer Mark Robinson has paid his respects to the late Dean Bailey, remembering the former Demons coach as one of the game’s greatest minds.

His passion and dry humour made him a popular figure around West Lakes.

Last month, after it was confirmed that Bailey had returned to hospital, Brodie Smith said the players’ thoughts were constantly with him.

“It’s just a sad and unfortunate event,’’ Smith said.

“He’s such a great coach and such a good guy around the club.”

Some of the players and coaches shaved their heads as a token of support when Bailey was undergoing chemotherapy.

Dean Bailey coached Melbourne in 83 games.Source: News Limited

Port Adelaide veteran Kane Cornes has described Dean Bailey as “a really great footy person’’ who played an integral role in the club’s historic 2004 premiership.

Cornes said he was “shocked’’ by Bailey’s tragic passing and that “everyone at the club is really feeling it today’’.

“He was such a huge part of our premiership side,’’ Cornes said.

“He was a really great footy person, really smart and had one of the best sense of humours you are ever likely to come across.

“The best thing about footy is the people you get to meet and spend time with and he was one of those people I stayed in contact with.

“I’m in shock about how sudden it’s all been and he certainly won’t be forgotten.’’

Dean Bailey in action during his time as an assistant coach with Port Adelaide.Source: News Limited

Bailey’s career in AFL football began as a player in the Essendon midfield in 1986. He played 53 senior games until his retirement in 1992. He then turned to coaching with outstanding credentials as one of the game’s deepest thinkers and calmest men in high-pressure matches.

Bailey left Essendon — where he was a development coach — to be a vital part of Port Adelaide’s 2004 AFL premiership triumph as an assistant coach for Mark Williams. Late in the 2007 season, Bailey was appointed Melbourne’s senior coach — a demanding job he kept for 83 games before his departure midway through the 2011 season.

Bailey returned to Adelaide in October 2011 to be the senior member of rookie coach Brenton Sanderson’s panel at West Lakes.

With Andrew Capel

Fox Sports correspondent Tom Wilson reflects on the career of the late Dean Bailey, who lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday.